Worcester Sun, March 19-25: Mariano has more PCB thoughts, a conversation with Jim McGovern, Sinacola on The Crusader + more

Mariano: The problem of PCBs at Burncoat and Doherty high schools
could be worse than I thought

Ray Mariano

“This issue is important to me. Certainly, I feel strongly because my wife is one of the teachers who has had cancer. But Burncoat was my high school and my wife was a student at Doherty. These are our classmates, our friends and our neighbors. These are the students who fill my wife’s classroom.”

Sina-cism: Holy Cross should continue its crusade | “If you exorcise Crusaders from the College of the Holy Cross, what is left? Would banishing the Crusader name and imagery from printing presses, websites and playing fields on Mount Saint James undermine the school’s identity? Would the holy cross itself, figuratively speaking, begin to totter? Probably not.” Chris Sinacola on the real crux of the debate to rename the college’s student newspaper.

Worcester Sun

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, right (shown at the city’s 2016 birthday celebration on Worcester Common), has plenty on his plate as he grapples with many Trump administration positions.

Requiem for Dissent: McGovern-ing in the era of Trump | Jim McGovern, one of the most unabashed liberals in Congress, has been ubiquitous in active resistance in the weeks since Donald Trump was elected president. “There’s so much happening that I think it requires more responses and more action,” he said in a wide-ranging exclusive interview with the Sun. “I want to protect the values I think are important to the country.” Richard Nangle talks Russia, Jeff Sessions and much more with the longtime Worcester congressman.

On Beacon Hill: March Madness, Murphy’s Law and Trumping the budget | Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best could be considered the mantra Bay State Democrats, and even Gov. Baker, are taking toward President Trump’s new budget blueprint. The $1.1 trillion spending plan would slash federal research funding, Meals on Wheels, environmental protection and on and on and on. “It’s not just bad for Massachusetts,” Baker said. “It’s bad for the country.” Plus, MBTA, legal pot and more daylight.

Michael Norton / State House News Service

Proposed MBTA service cuts have been widely panned in recent days.

Editorial: Weekend commuter rail service cuts unwise | The MBTA is proposing cuts to weekend commuter rail service starting in July, among a list of budget measures. This would be a setback for Worcester, which has put in years of work strengthening its rail tie to Boston. It’s also exactly the sort of thing that makes people not take up the public transportation habit. We urge the MBTA to take the long view and reject the cutback track.

Sun Spots with Hitch [Vol. 146]: Worcester springs into action | With our president slathering his indelible imprint on the future of health care, the environment and international relations, not to mention flaunting his facility with Irish proverbs and awkward handshakes, local officials certainly have their hands full wondering which Trumpian decision will be the next to ruin their day. But, of course, they still have to sweat the small stuff too. Hitch doesn’t necessarily dig one of the city’s latest priorities.

Sun Serial

Giselle Rivera-Flores

A Mother’s Journey [Part 40]: The stress test | “No matter how many items I’ve crossed off the to-do list in a given day, I tend to ask myself, ‘Am I doing enough?’ With every meeting I schedule, I wonder how I could take on two more. … Whenever downtime approaches, so does an overwhelming sense of guilt that I haven’t accomplished enough.” Giselle Rivera-Flores reflects on the insights of an impactful magazine article about the price entrepreneurs really pay.

Worcester Weekly: McGovern, Henry IV + Larry the Cable Guy walk into a bar … March 19-25 | The most fun you’ll have with a calendar of events all week. And you might just learn something, too. Here are six of the best things to do, places to go — and reasons why — the next few days.

Inbox [March 19]: Worcester State tests exam-free waters, WPI among tops for earning potential, Anna Maria receives $200K grant, AAS gets $17.7M for expansion and renovation, Worcester County advantageous for home-buyers | Interesting and worthwhile things happen every day in our community. Alas, we can’t cover them all. That’s where Inbox comes in, to offer readers an easily digestible compilation of interesting and noteworthy items you and your neighbors keep telling us about. Have news you or your group would like to share? Let us know by emailing it to info@worcester.ma. Be sure to include a link to the full release on your site or Facebook page so we can include it and send Sun members your way.

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